Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
KKB polls: It doesn’t matter if PSM or Muda loses By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Malaysiakini : Having said that, PSM would benefit from having an urban-based party
like Muda bridging the gap between outlier and mainstream politics.
Muda
has demonstrated that, for a young party, it has garnered a percentage
of votes that PSM never managed to do. Their messaging, especially using
social media, does seem to resonate.
PSM could benefit from the
kind of exposure that Muda offers, using social media to highlight
issues that PSM has been attempting to garner support for.
Beyond establishment parties
I
detest not voting since in a democracy it is the least a citizen can
do. But in this instance, boycotting is an option because voting for the
establishment coalitions means more or less voting for the enabling of a
theocratic state.
PSM and Muda must contest in the Kuala Kubu Baharu
polls, even if it means their candidates lose their deposit. Why?
Because there is a certain section of the polity that needs options
beyond establishment parties and their failed policies and broken
promises.
While
PSM and Muda may get protest votes and I sincerely hope they do, what
fielding a candidate does is to specifically wean the non-Malay polity
off the addiction to voting for a political party and coalition that is
slowly but surely dismantling the secular and constitutional framework
of this country.
An example of this would be the recent comments
by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Mohd
Na’im Mokhtar on the progress of Act 355, which would have serious
consequences for the fading secular nature of this country.
If you
really support change, then you must come to the realisation that
alternatives to mainstream political parties are a vital part of that
change.
However, if you think that they are just a distraction,
then go on supporting political groups that have no incentive to
genuinely carry out the reforms that Malaysia desperately needs. They
assume they have your vote against a far-right coalition that
unfortunately shapes how the coalition government thinks and ultimately
the direction of this country.
People have to remember this. If
PSM and Muda field a candidate, they would have done their part in the
democratic process. If they lose, it would mean that a significant
section of the voting polity is still not ready to do its part in
safeguarding the secular and constitutional framework of this country.
